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Quick and EASY Peanut Butter Oatmeal

This Quick and Easy Peanut Butter Oatmeal is the first thing I think of when I need some breakfast in a hurry, and this delicious oatmeal is vegan, dairy-free, South Beach Diet approved for phase 2, and it can be gluten-free if you use gluten-free oatmeal!

Most people who cook at home regularly have favorite recipes they make over and over, and this Quick and Easy Peanut Butter Oatmeal that I learned to make from fellow food bloggerAlanna Kellogg back in October 2006 is without a doubt my favorite thing to make when I need a really quick breakfast. This simple four ingredient breakfast treat combines microwaved extra-thick oatmeal with a generous scoop of peanut butter, for a simple easy breakfast that tastes delicious and will keep you going until lunch.

At my house I keep the oatmeal measured out into containers with a little salt added, so in the morning all I need to do is add water, microwave the oatmeal, and add peanut butter. But there is a little technique to the recipe or the oatmeal will bubble over in the microwave. And if you have a 4-cup glass measuring cup, that's the perfect tall container for making two servings. (Of course if you don't have a microwave or don't want to use it, you can make regular oatmeal on the stove and then stir in the peanut butter, although that breakfast won't be quite as quick and easy.)

I like chunky peanut butter best in this for a little extra crunch. And if you're a mom or dad who's making breakfast for kids it would be easy to turn this into peanut butter and jelly oatmeal, which would still be a really nutritious breakfast for a school-day morning.

(Quick and Easy Peanut Butter Oatmeal was updated with better photos and instructions for two servings; August 2015. And because I know some of you are wondering, Bob's Red Mill has not compensated me in any way to promote their oatmeal; in fact I'm pretty sure they don't even know about this blog!)

For two servings of oatmeal, you'll need about 1 cup rolled oats (not instant), 1 3/4 cups of water (or a little more if you like thinner oatmeal), and a little salt. Stir the oatmeal, water, and salt together in a 4-cup glass measuring cup (or a bowl with high sides) and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Then stir and cook the oatmeal 40-60 seconds more, stirring once or twice, until it's as thick and soft as you prefer.

Add 3-4 tablespoons peanut butter, let it melt a couple of minutes, then stir into the oatmeal.

And just for fun, here's the previous photo of this recipe from when I last updated the photos in 2008!

Quick and Easy Peanut Butter Oatmeal
(Makes 2 servings; recipe can be cut in half or increased as desired. This recipe created and generously shared by my friend Alanna.)

Ingredients:
2/3 to 1 cup oatmeal (see note below about types of oatmeal; I always use Bob's Red Mill Extra Thick Rolled Oats for this. Be sure you the oats you use are certified Gluten-Free if needed; some oats are not gluten-free.)
1 3/4 cup water (or slightly more if you prefer a thinner oatmeal)
about 1/4 tsp. salt (or to taste, but do not leave out the salt)
3-4 T peanut butter (for South Beach Diet be sure to get peanut butter without added sugar, check the label. I like Adams 100% Natural Peanut butter, and always use chunky peanut butter.)
(Some people like this with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon, but I never use that)

Instructions:

Put 2/3 to 1 cup oatmeal in a 4-cup glass measuring cup (or a microwave-proof bowl with high sides) and sprinkle with salt. Stir in 1 3/4 cup warm water, or slightly more, depending on how thick you like your finished oatmeal. Stir.

Microwave for two minutes on high, remove from microwave and stir. Continue to microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring after each 20 seconds, until oatmeal reaches the desired consistency. The oatmeal in these photos was cooked for three minutes, but you may prefer it slightly more chewy or softer, so experiment to get the consistency you like. (Be sure to use a container with high sides or the oatmeal will boil over when you get to the end of the cooking time.)

Remove oatmeal and add peanut butter, letting it melt for a minute or so and then stirring into the oatmeal. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon if desired. Serve hot.

Types of oatmeal:
There are three types of oatmeal: instant oatmeal, quick oatmeal, and regular oatmeal (also called rolled oats). Since less processed foods are lower on the glycemic index, regular oatmeal is best for South Beach. I always use Bob's Red Mill Extra Thick Rolled Oats for this. (Sarah from Cucina Bella reminded me about steel cut oats, which are even more nutritious but not suitable for microwave cooking like this! Here's some information about all the types of oats from Cook's Thesaurus.)

Can this be made ahead and reheated?
I knew some of you who scramble to even find a couple of minutes in the morning would want to know this, so I tried it, and yes you can make this, refrigerate overnight, and then heat the next day. Add a bit of water and microwave for about 1 minute to reheat. However, you're only saving minutes, and it's much better freshly made.

South Beach Diet Suggestions:Egg Muffins for a Grab-and-Go Breakfast are my all-time favorite quick breakfast for any phase of South Beach. This oatmeal with peanut butter is approved for phase two or three of the diet, and you shouldn't have nuts for a snack on the same day you have this for breakfast.

Nutritional Information?
I chose the South Beach Diet to manage my weight partly so I wouldn't have to count calories, carbs, points, or fat grams, but if you want nutritional information for a recipe, I recommend entering the recipe into Calorie Count, which will calculate it for you.

More Tasty Ideas with Oatmeal:
(Recipes from other blogs not always South Beach Diet or Low-Carb friendly; check ingredients.)

Posts may include links to my affiliate account at Amazon.com, and this blog earns a few cents on the dollar if readers purchase the items I recommend, so thanks for supporting my blog when you shop at Amazon!

98 comments:

Since Kalyn's the one who taught me that "different diets work for different people", I'll mention that this is Weight Watchers friendly too. A 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats (which has more fiber) and a tablepoon of peanut butter is a rich-tasting 3 points. If I'm saving points for later in the day, I'll use a half tablespoon for 2 points.

And I'll share something else, too, something I've learned since you were here, Kalyn. Remember how I told you that usually it's quick (NOT instant) oatmeal that I keep on hand but that what we were eating was old-fashioned rolled oats? And that I thought I preferred the quick?

Well, all that's changed. It took a week to get used to the thicker texture of the old-fashioned oatmeal and now I love it.

But here's the real trick. I'm no longer getting the hungries at 11 o'clock.

And just this week I read that there's a chemical reason for this: that the sugars of the whole grains take longer to digest, keeping my blood sugar even and preventing a mid-morning slump. An added benefit is that I'm drinking less coffee ... and therefore sleeping better at night, too.

All this from a lowly bowl of oatmeal! (Don't forget the peanut butter ...)

Alanna, I agree that the old fashioned oatmeal is great! The sugars taking longer to digest is what the glycemic index is all about (that's what the South Beach Diet is based on). But you are absolutely right that different diets work for different people. Thanks for mentioning that this is great for WW too. I think about the only diet this wouldn't work for is gluten free (I think oatmeal has gluten??) The peanut butter makes this a gourmet treat, at least for me.

Foodie's Hope, as Alanna mentioned, I firmly believe that you have to choose a diet based on your own food preferences. I was never a big sweets eater, possibly one reason South Beach has worked so well for me. I lost over 40 pounds and have kept it off for two years, three months so far, while writing a food blog and thinking about food all the time. There's some links in the bottom left sidebar of my blog if you want to read more about how it worked for me.

Ooh, another new twist for oatmeal. I'm always looking for new things to do with it. I recently posted my coconut oatmeal recipe which I came up with because I was bored of the plain stuff. Lovely blog!

Emily I would guess that steel cut oats would take a bit longer to cook, but it's only a guess. I think you could still use the same method, but might have to do a few more 15 second sequences. Let us know if you try it how long it takes.

I made the move to making my own oatmeal last year after I got a rice cooker. You can assemble everything in the cooker the night before, set the timer and wake up to oatmeal ready to eat! It was great when I had to leave the house by 7:15 a.m., but wanted a hot breakfast. This way too - I can make enough for the whole family at one time.

I tend to prefer steel cut oats. They do take longer to cook than rolled oats, but I love the texture. And with the rice cooker, time isn't an issue.

I will give the PB version a try. DH has been asking me to make oatmeal.........

I may have bastardized this a bit, but as I am not a South Beacher-just a Kalyn fan-I think it's ok. I cooked my oatmeal in milk instead of water, used natural peanut butter and added a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar to it. It was the best. How is it I never thought of this before? Peanut butter oatmeal cookies are my favorite! Thanks, again for a great recipe. The kids and I love it.Brady

Oatmeal is great so many ways; I ordered it in the hospital every day with peanut butter and raisins, and was about all I had the appetite for, for 5 days! When I got home I made it on the stove, 1 T raisins, sprinkle cinnamon, 1/2 C oatmeal with 1 C milk; heating the milk just to almost boil, then add the oatmeal, turn to low, and cover/cook for 5 min which absorbs most of the liquid. Then I put 1 T toasted almonds and 1 T Smuckers natural peanut butter in the bowl with the oatmeal-just like a warm oatmeal cookie for breakfast! Add SBD friendly as well!

I just discovered this post last week and tried oatmeal with peanut butter this weekend. It was delicious! I make a dry oatmeal mix in bulk and make a serving of almost every morning for breakfast. Adding peanut butter is a nice way to mix it up. It's definitely a part of my breakfast repertoire now. Thanks!

i just tried making warm grape nuts with peanut butter and it was amazing as well, though i don't know if it is south beach friendly (i saw your site linked from pastaqueen). 1/2 C each grape nuts and skim milk warmed in the microwave for about a minute on high, then stir in 1T peanut butter. a really great breakfast.

Oh my gosh, I think this is the most amazing thing I have heard about in a while. I feel so stupid for not thinking of this before! I LOVE LOVE LOVE peanut butter, but my relationship with oatmeal has been steadily declining. I think this will bring me back to loving oatmeal!

This sounds very yummy :) Just the other day I added a scoop of moccha protein shake & half a banana to my oatmeal and it was awesome. But PB! Don't know why I didn't think of it before, now I will have a new variation of oatmeal to try :) thanx for this tip!

I love this! I make it with steel cut oats that I make in the crockpot overnight. Personally, I like it better than when I tried it with Quaker Oats. Thanks so much for this recipe; I never would have thought to add PB to oatmeal!

i used rolled oats and cook at 50% power for 3 1/2 minutes. i/2 cup oats to 1 cup water or f/f milk. oh, and i put the pb in bfore i nuke. it's very quick. if i let it sit too long, and it gets too think i just add some more liquid and stire. this has been a favorite of mine for the past decade. found in prevention magazine under peanut butter diet. yummmmm

I had this yesterday as my first Phase Two breakfast. It was so delicious. Even my fiance, who doesn't like oatmeal, thought it was good thanks to the peanut butter. I used Old Fashioned/rolled oats and cooked them on the stove with milk. Just a half cup kept me full for hours!

By the way, for those who want some awesome tasting steel-cut oatmeal, check out Coach's Oats...they sell them at Costco in a huge bag and they cook in 4 minutes in the microwave. Totally South Beach friendly and they are wonderful with a little peanut butter added.

Is the peanut butter a strong flavor? I'm not a fan at all, but I love oatmeal.

I cheat when I make my steel cut oats. I bring 4C of water to a boil, add my cinnamon, or apple pie seasonings, and then add 1C of oats. Then I turn it off and let it sit over night. In the morning, I just turn the heat on, adjust the flavoring, and cook it till warm through - 7 min or so.

No big crock pot to clean, and by the time the coffee is ready, so are your steel cut oats.

Peanut butter and Oatmeal. I have finally found another breakfast I can eat on the South Beach without involving eggs. I love eggs, but everyday is just too much routine for me! Before SB if I had oatmeal it would be with equal parts of brown sugar, so I wasn't sure how I was going to manage oatmeal without sugar. And then I found your PB idea. I have just finished the bowl and mmm it was good and I am full and happy. Thank you! Another day started right on the South Beach!

I do the Zone diet plan, and I've done this for a few years now. I just either stir in some fat-free cottage cheese or low-carb yogurt (people turn their noses up at the sound of this combo, but trust me, it is very tasty), or add some microwaved turkey bacon on the side, to increase the protein and make it more Zone favorable.

Hello there! I am sooo excited I found your blog. I did South Beach Diet several years ago with Weight Watchers support and lost 25 lbs. I got pregnant and now I'm back to square one. I am going to start the South Beach again tomorrow and I'm THRILLED to find your blog. It's amazing and so informative. I'm sure this is going to be a wealth of knowledge for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I cannot say it enough. Your blog will keep me motivated and fed each and every day. Let's the games begin...hehehehe.

Asan oatmeal lover, I am going to have to try this! Thanks for the idea.

I am also a complete convert to "pin head" oats, and I use the crock pot to cook them overnight, so they are ready in the morning. (A trick I learned from Alton Brown.) Simply use one cup of pinhead oats to four cups water, or replace one of the cups of water with milk or cream for a slightly richer version. Sooo good! Adding peanut butter would be like a p-b oat cookie, yes? Yum!

Well, though peanut butter is definitely an acquired taste (and something I haven't yet acquired, I must admit), I had this peanut butter oatmeal in St Louis this summer - made by 'the' Alanna herself - and I quite liked it :)

I love peanut butter and because of that, I might have added too much peanut butter.I was searching for a better way to make oatmeal with brown sugar and cinnamon and came across your recipe for oatmeal and peanut butter. I added extra peanut butter and like I said, I added too much. I'll have to try this again, with less peanut butter.

I started eating Peanut Butter Oatmeal about 6 months ago and fell in love, literally. It's kind of weird how much I love this oatmeal. I have never liked any kind of food this much. It is almost an obsession. When I get into bed at night, I am actually giddy and can't wait til the morning to eat my PB oatmeal! I know that's sad, but it is so wonderful! Paired with my PG Tips tea, it is a piece of heaven in the morning while I read the paper. My kids make fun of me b/c I eat it everyday. It has definitely aided in my weight loss. I usually eat breakfast around 9am after a busy early morning -- 5:30am workout followed by getting my older kids off to school and my little one up and fed. It fills me up so that I don't feel hungry until 2pm! Then I have a light lunch (around 300 cal) and a regular dinner. I can go on and on and on about this oatmeal. I consider the day that I found this blog with so many SB friendly recipes a blessed day but the PB oatmeal was the ultimate find! A million thanks to Alanna who originally created(I think) it and to Kalyn for sharing it! God bless you both!

This is a wonderful recipe! I found a great brand of oats that has rolled oats, wheat bran, and flax seeds, and I used this for the recipe. I did add in a sprinkle of cinnamon and it was fantastic! I am not a fan of oatmeal, generally speaking, but this was just great. I am a HUGE fan of PB so I was excited to find this recipe! I have some unsweetened chocolate flavored almond milk and am going to try cooking the oats in that... mmm chocolate, peanut butter and oatmeal! Thanks for sharing this recipe. Love your blog - I reference it frequently.

Cristy, this would be phase 2 or 3 for South Beach, and you should not have nuts for a snack on the day you have this for breakfast. It does say that it's phase 2 or 3 in the post, but I will edit to make it more noticeable.

That sounds wonderful! Would it be SBD friendly if used lowfat milk instead? And I wonder it would taste as good with almond butter....and also for phase 2, do you think sweetening it with a bit of honey would work?

I'm not sure how it would work to cook the oatmeal in milk or use almond butter; you would have to experiment with that. I wouldn't use honey, it's listed as a food "to avoid or eat rarely" even for phase two.

There's always something new to discover on your blog, Kalyn! I'm with Sara on the almond butter variation. Thankfully, I don't have a peanut allergy, but I usually prefer almond butter. I could also see a tiny dollop of chocolate hazelnut butter instead ... on occasion. ;-)

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